Students connect with nature

OAK HARBOR — The Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District hosted the 59th annual fifth-grade conservation tour this week at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area with over 800 students. The wildlife area is located along Ohio 2 north of Oak Harbor. The first conservation event was in 1962. In the decades since, the field day has been canceled only three times: in 2001 and 2003 due to weather, and in 2020 due to COVID-19. Students covered a variety of topics from the protection of animals, the importance of water qualify and how to protect and manage resources and life in the marsh. This year, fifth graders attended from Genoa, Port Clinton, Put-in-Bay, Immaculate Conception School in Port Clinton and St. Boniface Catholic School in Oak Harbor. On Friday, students from Lakota Elementary School, which is located in Kansas, Ohio, between Fremont and Fostoria; Danbury and Oak Harbor will attend. Becky Simpson, an environmental educator, said the day offers students a hands-on approach to teaching concepts of conservatory and shows off different resources. "We're immersing them in a different environment. It gives them the chance to take more ownership," Simpson said. "They see everything firsthand. They see the impact the plastic that washes up has." The day includes six different stations for the students to learn about different aspects of the environment. Here's a breakdown of what each station offered: • The first station featured volunteers from the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, which lets children see wild birds up close. • The second station discussed life underwater for fish, and all they need to survive. • The third station focused on bald eagles and habitats. Students also explored the Magee Marsh Bird Center and learned about monarch butterflies. • The fourth station focused on Lake Erie, its ecosystems and how they've been altered by invasive plant and animal species. • The fifth station taught students about life at the marsh for different animals, the food chain and migratory creatures. • The sixth station focused on managing natural resources, particularly soils, and protecting them from erosion and compaction. Students learned about how proper drainage systems are necessary and how important soil is for farming. Put-in-Bay student Kate Hubner said the most interesting thing she learned was how plants make up all foods, even ranch dressing. Caleb Kowalski, also from Put-in-Bay, said he learned corn stalks usually only produce one or two ears of corn. Genoa Elementary teacher Chris Fruth said this was his 13th year attending the conservation day. "It gets students out into the wildlife, which is awesome. Some of these kids probably don't travel over here to see what Ottawa County offers, and they get a taste of what conservation really is," Fruth said. "They enjoy it. It's really a fun time for them, and for myself, because I love coming out here." Students explored the Lake Erie beach for plastic to pick up, created food webs for the animals that call the marsh home and learned how soil is involved in every food product. Put-in-Bay student Ava Fiorilli said her favorite part of the day was cleaning up the beach. Fruth said he plans to plant milkweed in his garden to attract monarch butterflies. "I like seeing the kids out there, and it'll be some of their first field trips in over a year," Simpson said. "They really see the connections between the farmers and the fields and why they're growing what they do."